Chapter 16
MAKING DO
ELOISE
London Daily Times
We are here with Leo Hayes, our Royal Correspondent all weekend.
It is an exciting time to watch the Royals arrive at Sandringham for Christmas.
The first to arrive, of course, were the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen was spotted this morning taking tea in town with the Duchess of Lauderdale and Her Majesty’s most beloved niece, Leah Roughy.
With them as well was Lady Roughy's youngest child who the Queen was incapable of setting down for even a moment.
Someone should tell Prince Duncan he should hurry it up!
Ladies, if you are out there, now's your chance. The Queen might be on your side here!
The house had been freezing for two hours.
We lost power and I made do as best I could.
I added wood to the fire and prayed the oven would stay warm enough to bake the pan of cookies I’d placed within it.
I was able to keep it going long enough to finish one round which was enough for me.
However, my domestic bliss was soon shattered at the sound of water gushing.
I ran and found a burst pipe in my bathroom.
There was a trickle below the sink. If pipes were already freezing, things were bad.
I put a pan under the pipe and decided to see if there was anyone at the main house to help.
I carried a flashlight, but the batteries had not been changed since the previous millennium.
The base was caked in dried battery acid.
To my surprise, once I approached the house and saw through the snow, I realized there were lights on.
I rushed to the back door, teeth chattering.
Snow clung to my hair and eyelashes. Everything was silent.
I banged the door. A figure appeared and the door opened.
“Ah, Miss Mills. Shit! I forgot you were down there!” The Prince stood casual as ever in sweats and a t-shirt
“Your Royal Highness, I hate to bother you but... a pipe has burst at mine because I've been without power and—”
“Got it, yes. Um... let me grab a lantern and some shoes and I will follow you down.”
The door hung open. I could feel the warmth emanating. Not only did he have light and working pipes, he had heat. I was terribly jealous and a bit salty. Wasn't he supposed to be in Norfolk? No one told me anything! With John gone and Jax asleep at the wheel, I heard nothing.
The Prince returned with a lantern. He pulled on a coat and boots.
“So where is it?” He crunched through the snow ahead of me.
“My bedroom. Sorry, but, do you have power?”
“You don't?”
I shook my head no.
“They told me the genny would power both.”
“Well, they either lied or something is amiss because I lost power hours ago and I'd say I was worried about my Christmas lamb but—”
I opened the door. “It's so cold in here, I don't think I have to.”
“It is frigid. And you have the fire going?” the Prince pointed.
“Yes.”
“Well, bloody hell, it's fucking freezing. You must come up to the house. Do not argue with me, Miss Mills. If you stay down here, you will freeze to death. You must come up to the house.”
I shrugged. “At this point, I don't much have a choice, do I? I don't want to bother you—”
“You won't as I'm grounded. Did you say you had a lamb? Like you had proper food for tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Great big spread planned. All ruined.”
“No, totally fixed. You can cook up at the house. Is there enough for both of us?”
“There was...” I looked down at my shoes. “Enough for me and plenty of leftovers.”
“Miss Mills, if you will cut me in I promise to make sure you eat well for a few days after. I would be eternally grateful. My plane was grounded. I barely made it back across the bridge to return here. I would be so happy to consume actual food and not the MREs I stole.”
“MREs?”
“Disgusting food you will eat when you are too hungry to say no if off in combat. Or, if you are my mother, you just develop a taste for certain things and think they taste... normal.”
I snickered, unable to hold back.
“What? Why are you laughing?”
“Sorry, sir. It was the way you said it.”
“Oh, yes. Mum is... she's a trip really. And she's had it with this weather. Oh well. Not much I can do. But I can help you. Let's check on this pipe, shall we?”
I stared at him in the incredibly low light.
Despite the stressful situation, his face was cheerful in contrast with his expression every time I assigned him work.
Perhaps he warmed to me? I wondered if maybe this meant I infiltrated him and he would soon agree to the documentary? I could always keep trying.